49ers Could Reunite With Pro Bowl Defender After Front Office Shakeup

The San Francisco 49ers are having an excellent start to the season, as evidenced by their 5-0 record.

With this, it is clear that the 49ers will be buyers ahead of the trade deadline. One area that the 49ers could look to improve before the deadline is here is their defense. Because of this, they are now being linked to one of their former star defenders.

In a recent article for NBC Sports, Matt Maiocco urged the 49ers to reunite with Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

"Now, the 49ers would almost certainly be a team that would be interested in acquiring Buckner before the Nov. 10 NFL trading deadline. Due to injuries, the 49ers already have used 15 different defensive linemen. And, yes, they absolutely could use Buckner on their defensive line in the second half of the season," Maiocco wrote. "And, now, the 49ers could have an opportunity to bring back a player they never should have dealt in the first place."

With the 49ers' defense needing help, it would make sense for them to bring back Buckner. The three-time Pro Bowler would give the 49ers another star defensive tackle to work with, which would certainly benefit a team that is looking to win the Super Bowl.

There is certainly a chance that Buckner could be made available by the Colts. They are looking set to be prime sellers ahead of the deadline and recently fired their general manager Chris Ballard.

Buckner is having another solid year despite playing for a struggling Colts team. In six games so far this campaign, he has posted four sacks to go along with 26 combined tackles. With numbers like these, he would be a good player for the 49ers to acquire.

Buckner spent his first four NFL seasons with the 49ers from 2016 to 2019. In 63 games with San Francisco over that span, he posted 28.5 sacks and 263 combined tackles. This included him recording a career-high 12 sacks in 2018 with the 49ers.